Label roll cutting and control-feed mechanism for packaging machines



Aug. 13, 1957 T. H. NlFONG 2,802,529

' LABEL'ROLL CUTTING AND CONTROL-FEED MECHANISM FOR PACKAGING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1953 A g- 1957 T. H. NIFONG 2,802,529

- LABEL RGLL CUTTING AND CONTROL.FEED

MECHANISM FOR PACKAGING. MACHINES Filed June 26, 1953 B Sheets-Sheet 2 Il l I l I l l l I I l l I i I Aug. 13, 1957 T. H. NIFONG 2,802,529

LABEL ROLL CUTTING AND CONTROL-FEED I MECHANISM FOR PACKAGING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 26, 1953 :m T. m m

Aug. 13, 1957 T. H. NIFONG 2,302,529

' LABEL ROLL CUTTING AND CONTRQL-FEED MECHANISM FDR PACKAGING MACHINES 5Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 26, 1953 .m WN f 2147/4! o \3 n a a M\illlllllllllflrllhr f em em as sm 3 Ma QM. o v.\,\.

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LABEL ROLL CUTTING ANDJCONTROL-FEED 1 MECHANISM FOR PACKAGING MACHINES.

It has been common in .cigarettefpackag ing' machines to successivelyfeed labels from the base of va stack of cut labels, the feedingmechanism gripping and turning each label 180 and depositing it u'ponacarrier chain, the latter continuously moving to the label. foldin andwrapping devices for. the cigarette packages. Periodic machine stoppagesare encountered becauseof misses in 2,802,529 Patented Aug. 13, 1957Bolted to angle frame member A at spaced horizontal areas are twosimilar mainbrackets 1, one of which is shown in Fig. 1. In bearingsprovided by the main brackets andan auxiliary bracket 2 is a powertakeoff shaft 3 carrying asprocket 4 chain driven by a sprocket 5jonthe'fcigarette packing, orother label applying, ma-

chine. a

On shaft 3 is a gear 6 connected to a gear 7 on shaft 8. The lattershaft carries a double sprocket 9 which transfers, by chain 10, rotationto a cutter head, and, by chain 11,rotation toa'planetary controltherefor, later to be mentioned herein. Sprocket 9 is given one rotationfor each rotation of power takeoff shaft 3.

The roll of strip on which the labels are successively printed ismounted on a reel 12 carried by a shaft 13 .held'by a depending over asleeye-roller bracket 14. The label strip is led 15 on a shaft 16, heldby the primary brackets 1, and thence over an idler sleeve 17 to thelabel feed, plural label feed, and jamming of the mechanism. It has beendesired in the past to continuously feed a roll of labels withsimultaneous cut-off and registrationlabel deposit upon the chain,butunforefseen difficulties have caused various attempts to fail. a

By means of the present invention, mechanism of demonstrated cure of thedifficulties i'sproyided.

The mechanism is characterized in pargby mechanism arranged and searated into novel c sting grou s, enabling easy and convenient sepai'ate. strnent, assembly and detachment, the said echanism continuouslyfeeding a strip from a roll, on which strip the labels will be printedin line. The mechanism cuts and deposits upon a feed or carrier, chain,the labels ina special manner-wherein at the instant of complete ctlt,the. Severed label is rapidly carried away from the forwardly movingstrip and in parallel with and upon the feed or carrier chain, thelatter carrying the cut labels (in spaced relationship) to the foldingand wrapping devices of the cigarette machine. a a Q Othercharacteristics of the invention will appear from the followingspecification, with reference'to the drawings. In the drawings: 1

Fig. l is a side elevation showing the general assembly of elements;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged partial front elevation looking.

from the rear in the direction of the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the'line3-3, Fig. 1, looking from therear toward the front .of the assembly; Fig. 3a is a detail view inelevation: showing the outlincs of the planetary correctionedriveassembly;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 4+4, Fig. 2;

Fig. is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation showing the upper webfeed and label cutter elements .in .association with the rapid labelfeed;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the elements in an advancedposition;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the structure of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a view in vertical section of thelselector switch assembly andthe associated end of the cutter shaft, the section being taken on theline 8-8, Fig. 9;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the selector switch assembly, the coverplate therefor being removed; and

Fig. is a schematic view of a section of a suitable web or strip uponwhich label matter (not shown) will be printed in succession, the stripshowing spaced electric eye responsive markings.

At A is shown a front angle frame member forming part of the cigarettepacking machine (not shown).

a driven feed roller 18. As the label strip runs over feed roller 18, itis pressed downby a. spring-loaded rubber faced roller 19 which hasturned down stubends rotating in duel-bearing ends of arms 20 on shaft21, which in turn is journaled in brackets 22.

Feed roller 18 is turned down at its-ends to provide stub shaftsjournaled in bearing boxes 23, Fig. 4. Pacing the front of the assembly,th right-hand stub shaft on feed roller 18 carries a sprocket 24 drivenby chain 25 (Fig. 1) led ,under an idler 26 on shaft 26x, thence overadjustable chain tightener sprocket 27, and to counterclockwise rotatingsprocket 28 on the planetary gear shaft- 29 (Fig. 3). I

The planetary gear operation may be in principle the same as thatshownin patent to Shoults et al., No. 2,151,570.

From one drive sprocket 9 (24 teeth) is led drive chain 11 to sprocket30 on said shaft 29in the planetary casing. In normal operation, shaft29 is driven in the same speed ratio as the drive gear 9 for chain 11.Shaft 29 transmits rotation toits sprocket 28, over which chain 25 isled. to the feed roller sprocket 24.

The planetary gear housing which is mounted for rotation carries a wormwheel 32 having 40 teeth in mesh with worm 33 on a shaft 34 (Fig. 3)which carries gear 35 driven by gear 36 on motor shaft 37. Worm 33 (Fig.3a) normally holds the planetary gear housing P from rotation.

On one stub shaft of the cutter head 38 (Fig. 9) is a cam 39 which holdscircuit breaker switch arm 40 of the. selector switch assembly open forall but a brief period of revolution of the cutter head. The closing istimed to take place when a registration mark 39x (Fig. 10) on the labelstrip S reaches a predetermined point. Cam 39 is held in adjustedposition on the cutter head shaft by a set screw 40xx. To give fine andexact adjustment, the switch casing 41 is flanged and the flange at topand bottom is formed with an arcuate slot 42. Two screw studs 43 passthrough the slots into one of the two bracket arms for the cutter headshaft. By loosening the screws, the switch casing, with its switch arm40 and contact 40x may be moved relatively to the cam, and hence finelyadjusted to change timing.

From double sprocket 9 leads a chain 10 which drives sprocket 44 carriedby stub shaft 45 (Fig. 2) on which is a gear 46 in mesh with a secondgear 47 carried by the end of rotary cutter head 38.

On the cutter head 38 is an adjustable knife 48 which coacts with ablade 49 (Fig. 5) carried by an adjustable bracket 50 (Fig. 2).

Forw-ardly of the cutter head is a rubber faced label feed roll 51,above which is the label feed member 52 having an arcuate active surfaceextending l. This primary label feed member 52 may be on a shaft 53driven from the" cigarette packer by means not shown.

However in the embodiment shown, it may be considered that feed roll 51is an idler roller on feed chain assembly shaft and is rotated bycontact with feed member 52, and the cut label feed is at a speed muchhigher'than that of the web and preferably 3 /3 times the web feed.

Forwardly of the label feed members 51 and 52 is the said chain labelfeed assembly consisting of two parallel chain members 54 carryingopposite and spaced feed lugs 55. The spacing of the pairs of feed lugsis greater than the length of the label; Rearwardly, the chain members:are mounted on sprockets 56, Fig. 7, carried atopposite as one unit.The-power is led to a single power takeoff "'shaft 8 which carries twosprockets, one for a chain-drive leading directly to sprocket '44 on astub shaft 45 which gear-drives the cutter assembly 38, 39 and one'for asecond chain-drive leading to a sprocket 30 carried by planetary shaft29 which, throughsprocket 28, drives chain leading to the pull-off roll18. The relation of the planetary drive to :both the cutter assembly 38,39 and the pull off roll'18has special utility in control andsimplicity.

Summarizing the operation of the machine, the label web is drawn fromits roll and guided to the roll 18 which ends of the rubber faced feedroller 51. .Forwardly, the

chain members extend into the cigarette packing machine and over idlersprockets or positively driven sprockets, not shown since they areoutside the invention herein claimed.

The label strip wheniled into position relatively to the cutterpreferably is so positioned'that the photo-cell regis- '7 tration markon the strip is set for labelseverance by' the cutter at the exactpredetermined line of "cut. In the presentembodiment, the feed roller 18has a circumference twice that of the label length, and to maintain thepredetermined position of label cut, thefe'ed roller has such normalperipheral speed as to feed in each half revolutionslightly less thanalabel length, preferably less 0.0015. In fine workithe degree ofaccuracy as to the line of cut severing the printed label from its stripshould be within 0.005 By means of the present invention, the controlenables even less variance. The selector switch planetary gear motor andphotocell scanning head may be connected together in a circuit bymeanswell known in the art. The selector switch will be connected to astarting switch for the motor, and the photocell scanning head will beconnected to a switch which will stop the motor.

With each half revolutionof the feed roller, a .label length of thestrip, less .0015", is fed forwardly to the cutter. Inasmuch as there isan accepted tolerance of 0.005" at the line of cut, in the continuedfeed of the strip, after initial setting, three labels will be cut andthen the tolerance will be exhausted. This means that the appropriateregistration mark on the strip will be short of registration with thebeam from the photo-cell scanning head at'the instant the normally openselector switch arm. is in circuit closing position. Therefore circuitis closed through the planetary motor and the planetary housinginstantly is rotated to advance the strip to the minute but importantdegree that the registration mark is brought up to the beam and theplanetary motor circuit instantly is opened. The internal planetary'geararrangement is standard and therefore is not illustrated.

As customary, the planetary motor is high speed, and each revolution ofthe worm is preferably made equivalent to 0.002 advance of the stripover and above the normal feed action of the feed roller. Thus,approximately two revolutions of the worm (six revolutions of the motorwith a 3x1 ratio) will correct the registration. With a preparedplanetary motor speed of 1,080 R. P. M., the correction is made in /3second with a normal feed roller peripheral speed of approximately 444"per minute.

The superimposed unit assemblies and their drive are unique. All of thecontrol feed and cutter elements are first removable from the top of theframe assembly as a unit, and the scanning head assembly may then beremoved as a unit to expose the entire planetary assembly. Or the feedand scanning head assemblies may be removed may be characterized as apull off roll.- Coacting therewith is pressure roll 19 and pull ofi feedof thesaid rolls is joined with the action of a rotary cutter assemblywith the member 38 which is partly cut away to leave an arcuate face andwhich, opposite said face, carries a cutter blade 48. The label severedfrom the web by the cutter is quickly drawn away from; the continuouslymoving web by means of the high 'speedfintermittently acting feedassembly including member 52, which'is a roll cut partly away forming anarcuate feed surface extending approximately-. Perfect control isassured inasmuch'as feed member' SZ is'dr'iven in coaction with feedroll 51 so that it bites into the leading edge of'the cut label at theinstant of-cutting (or slightly thereafter) for feeding to the chain.Ifthe label size is varied the feed segment may bite into other than theleading edge. The instant of bite is the instant of cutting; If .a feedroll instead of a'feed segment were used, there-would be no means bywhich the feedof the label'could be syn'chronizedwith the cuttingoperation. If the label were picked up too late, it would be engagedlby,the' leading edge of the web and if too early, it wouldg c'ause serioustension since the label speed is 3 /3 times the web speed;

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is: v

Ina web feeding an'd label cutting mechanism comprising web feed-inmeans, label cutting means and cut label feed-out'means'the improvementwhich consists in a rotary cutter-carrier, a cutter blade carriedthereby, means for rotating said' cutter-carrier at the peripheral speedof ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED. STATES PATENTS Re.15,328

Overbury Apr. 4, 1922 1,107,762 Cumfer Aug. 18, 1914 1,659,069 :Aldrichet al Feb. 14, 1928 1,752,648 Matthews Apr. 1, 1930 1,788,122 PetersenJan. 6, 1931 1,792,474 l Aldrichet a1. Feb. 17, 1931 2,075,095 CordesMar. 30, 1937 2,191,497 Potdevin et al Feb. 27, 1940 2,249,820.Gulliksen July' 22, 1941 2,251,306 Thompson Aug.15, 1941 2,283,255Holtz May 19, 1942 2,518,011 Hoppe Aug. 8, 1950 2,640,540 Stange June 2,1953

